Republican file photoA press conference on the future of the NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament will be held Wednesday at 3 p.m. at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield.

The NCAA's Division II basketball committee delayed for a month in making a decision regarding the Elite Eight's future because it had another city in mind as a possible site. That turned out to be Highland Heights, Ky., a suburb of Cincinnati.

"The local D-2 committee puts on a first-class event every year and this year was no exception," Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno said in a statement released through spokesman Thomas Walsh.

"Ticket sales were great and that's a difficult task to accomplish in a struggling economy. I'm not sure why the national committee would look to host the tournament in any city other than Springfield, home of the Basketball Hall of Fame," the statement said.

NCAA officials have stated several times that they were very pleased with Springfield's handling of the tournament over the last four years, and that this year is simply the same bid process it always goes through.

In a March 30 interview with The Republican, NCAA executive Jeff Jarnecke said the decision was delayed because of new personnel on the Division II men's basketball committee.

The Elite Eight event, which takes place in the last week of March, again will be hosted by American International College, the only Division II school in Western Massachusetts. AIC again will have the Basketball Hall of Fame as its hosting partner.

Craig Cote, director of marketing, will represent AIC at the Wednesday press conference.

"Considering the economic situation, we're hopeful that corporate sponsorship and a (financial) commitment at the state level will still be there. The tournament provides economic stimulus to the region," Cote said.

In the last four years, the Elite Eight has received help through state grants, he said.

Ken Mack, a CBS executive who produces coverage of the Elite Eight championship game, said he would consider it "fantastic news" if the tournament is staying in Springfield.

"In our four years of involvement, Springfield has done a wonderful job. We've seen the tournament grow and we look forward to seeing it continue to get better. It's a great thing for the city," Mack said.

"If the tournament is coming back to Springfield, that's good news for the Pioneer Valley," said Roy Pickerell, a Kentucky Wesleyan College official who serves as media relations director for the Elite Eight.

"To me, Springfield is the Dream Team of tournament hosting. A lot of great people work on it. They all care so much, and work so hard to make it a first class event," he said,

The Elite Eight has been played at the MassMutual Center for the last four years.

Springfield hosted the tournament for 16 years before losing it in 1994.

When the tourney left Springfield in 1994, it was held for six years in Louisville, Ky., then at five other sites. It was last played away from Springfield in 2005, with Grand Forks, N.D., as host.